Bilal

This is a book that explores the future world in which there are robot friends (Artificial Friends, or AF) for children. These AF have some capacities which exceed our own, but in other ways they're not considered fully human. The book is an exploration of a relationship between a little girl and an AF. The author does a great job in getting into the mind of a foreign character in a realistic and believable way. For me this was too much of a slow burn, the ending falls flat and just left me wanting something more.

I never got a chance to read this when I was younger. For something so short and simple, I believe it will always be timeless and relevant. Thoroughly enjoyed this book and will never forget what they did to poor Boxer

Difficult to review this as I know it's a classic. Ahead of its time but left me feeling unfulfilled... but maybe that's the point?

Spoilers below

About Goldsteins book being in the actual book - I knew this was coming and I was dreading it. 30ish pages taken up detailing Goldsteins book... Would have been easier to digest if it was less repetitive and paraphrased. Also - why did Winston read the entire thing out loud?!

“I wanted to rape you and then murder you afterwards. Two weeks ago I thought seriously of smashing your head in with a cobblestone.“ Julia laughs this comment off...

Seeing things from the mind of a seven year old... a dark and realistic world with the pain and grief associated with life's events. The story captivated me from start to finish and I'm adding a star to my rating because I'm sure that I remember the monsters and the crazy world of magic from my childhood... maybe I read this when I was a lot younger? Or it was read to me? In any case, it became more and more familiar to me as I read, which added to the world of magic!

A good book? No... But a fun read!

Things I didn't like:

Didn't like the main character at all. For someone so young (and so broke), he manages to find time to master all games, watch all movies and references Halliday word for word. Takes arrogance to a whole new level.

The final battle felt rushed and out of place.

The romantic storyline is poorly written and a little sexist.

I really wanted to like this book but the start of it is extremely boring. Even as a 80s baby, the references got a little too much.